A conventional electronic camera of this type consists of an image pickup section for converting an optical image into an electrical signal and a disk recording section for electronically or magnetically recording the electrical signal.
Alternatively, an electronic camera of this type has a solid-state memory, instead of a disk recording section, as the recording means, in order to eliminate a drawback.
However, the devices as described above have the following drawbacks.
First, an electronic camera having a disk recording section as a recording means has the following drawbacks:
(1) Since a recording disk and a disk drive for driving the same have predetermined sizes, miniaturization of the entire camera is limited.
(2) A predetermined time interval is required for the rise time of disk rotation when recording of an image is started, and a shutter release opportunity can be lost.
(3) The power consumption required for the disk servo is comparatively large, and disk servo time not contributing to recording is prolonged.
(4) The camera housing must be water- and dust-proofed for the necessity of a disk change, resulting in a high cost.
Meanwhile, an electronic camera using a solid-state memory as a recording means has the following drawbacks:
(1) It is difficult to increase the memory capacity above a predetermined degree, and the maximum number of photographing frames is smaller than that of an electronic camera which uses a disk.
(2) Since cost reduction of the memory is limited, reduction in photographing cost is also limited.
(3) A semiconductor memory requires power to maintain data of a recorded optical image, and it is difficult to reserve it permanently.
(4) If a replaceable memory pack is used to overcome the problem of the limited maximum number of photographing frames, the camera housing must be water- and dust-proofed, resulting in a high cost.